The silver threepence continued to minted, as there may have been some uncertainty how well the new coin would be accepted. All milled silver threepences were 17 millimetres in diameter and weighed 1.5 grams dimensions which were unchanged until near the end of the reign of George III. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. It was one of the most recognized coins of the pre-decimal English coinage system. The word bobwas sometimes used for a monetary value of several shillings, e.g. The silver threepence continued to be minted in parallel until 1945, as there may have been some uncertainty about how well the new coin would be accepted. Queen Elizabeth I (15581603) produced threepences during her third coinage (15611577). The onepennyto four pencehavetraditionallybeen given out in Maundy ceremonies. Unusually the same young portrait of king George II was used on the threepence throughout his reign (1727-60), despite an older portrait being used on other denominations from 1743. The halfpenny ceased to be legal tender in 1969. There were mixed opinions in 1937 when the first brass nickel threepence was issued but it soon became one of the nation's most loved coins due to its quirkiness. (King of Great Britain France and Ireland). The effigy of the queen produced by Mary Gillick was used, with the inscription ELIZABETH II DEI GRA BRITT OMN REGINA F D used in 1953, and ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F D used in all other years. During the reign of Queen Victoria, threepences were produced both for maundy use and for normal circulation in all years between 1838 and 1901 except 1847, 1848, and 1852 (probably because of the possible advent of a decimal currency at the time (see florin), when the 3d at 1/80 of a pound would not have fitted within a decimal system). 1644 OX The religion of the Protestants, the laws of England, the liberty of Parliament. 1644 OX The religion of the Protestants, the laws of England, the liberty of Parliament. The coin has also been minted from nickel-brass as a 6.8g coin measuring 21mm and as a silver 1.5g coin with a diameter of 16.2mm. Depending on the exchange rate at any given time, a threepence in todays money would be the equivalent of just under 2 cents. The young head was issued 1838-87, Jubilee head 1887-93 and old head 1893-1901. In 1644 the Aberystwyth obverse was used to produce a coin with the reverse showing the Declaration of Oxford: REL PRO LEG AN LIB PA 1644 -- The religion of the Protestants, the laws of England, the liberty of Parliament 1644, while around the outside of the coin is the legend EXURGAT DEUS DISSIPENTUR INIMICI -- Let God arise and His enemies be scattered. The Maundy coinage has always been silver. As with all other Irish coins, the Irish threepence was minted at the Royal Mint from 1928 to 1968, and ceased to be legal tender after Decimalisation Day in February 1971. Type 1 (1911-1920) contains 0.925 silver, Type 2 (1920-1926) contains 0.5 silver, Type 3 (1926) carries a modified obverse image, and Type 4 (1927-1936) has a New Oak Sprig reverse. The new silver threepence design was a shield bearing St. George's cross in the centre of a rose and was issued in 0.500 silver. Milled coins were produced at the York mint between 1638 and 1649, which look similar to the Aberystwyth product but without the plumes -- the obverse features left-facing crowned bust of the king with the numeral III behind him, with the legend CAROLUS D G MAG BR FR ET HI REX, with the reverse showing the royal arms on a shield over a cross, with EBOR over the shield and the legend CHRISTO AUSPICE REGNO. The nickel-brass threepence took over the bulk of the production of the denomination, being produced in all years between 1937 and 1952 except 1947. "This denomination was re-introduced for circulation in 1836 at the recommendation of Joseph Hume and nick-named after him 'Joeys'. In Australia, it was noticed that the (silver) threepence was a very small coin. The obverse shows a right-facing bust of the King, with the inscription GEORGIVS DEI GRATIA while the reverse shows the crowned "3" and MAG BRI FR ET HIB REX date. The British brass threepence ceased to be legal tender after 31 August 1971, following decimalisation. There was also a fairly rare milled coinage threepence, produced between 1561 and 1564 with similar designs and inscriptions to the hammered coinage threepences. Similar to the other seven Irish Free State coins, the Irish threepence was designed by the English artist Percy Metcalfe. 15 February 1971, and ceased to be legal . Over the length of the reign there were several different designs of obverse and reverse in use. The threepence denomination fell out of use again during the reign of King James I, while during King Charles I's reign (162549) it was not produced at the London Tower mint, but was produced (sometimes in some quantity) at various provincial mints. It may surprise most people to learn that silverthreepencesare still issued in the present day, but as we have mentioned, the four denominations of Maundycoins are all still struckannually for the Royal Maundy ceremony. They feature a left-facing crowned bust of the king with plumes in front of his face and the numeral III behind him, with the legend CAROLUS DG MA B FR ET H REX (or a combination of M(A) B F(R) ET H(I)(B) depending on the engraver), with the reverse showing the royal arms on a large oval shield with plumes above the shield, and the legend CHRISTO AUSPICE REGNO I reign under the auspices of Christ. Threepence coins issued in 1954 circulated for 17 years until "Decimal Day", 15 February 1971, and ceased to be legal tender after 31 August 1971. The silver threepence had another completely new reverse three interlinked rings of Saint Edmund, with the inscription FID DEF IND IMP 1937 THREE PENCE, while the obverse shows a left-facing effigy of the king with the inscription EDWARDVS VIII D G BR OMN REX and a very small silver engravement. Name. Still, they unquestionably make a great addition to any collection while those in the best grading can be sold for a very tidy profit. Queen Elizabeth I (15581603) produced threepences during her third coinage (15611577). For the first two years a somewhat caricatured portrait of the monarchs was used, replaced by a rather more staid portrait in 1691, with the inscription GVLIELMVS ET MARIA D G, while the reverse shows a crowned Arabic number "3" and the inscription MAG BR FR ET HIB REX ET REGINA date. Former coin of the United Kingdom and other territories, "Threepenny bit" redirects here. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Currency silver threepences from 1838 to 1926 were of identical design and cannot usually be distinguished except in the best conditions when the higher striking standard of the maundy coins stand out; this resulted in the curious legal anomaly that when the currency was decimalised in 1971 all silver threepences from 1870 onwards were revalued at three new pence, not just the maundy coins. I hope these observations help. In style they are very reminiscent of his father's issues, the obverse featuring the bust of the king, with the numeral III and the legend CAROLUS II D G MAG BRI F ET H REX, with the reverse showing the royal arms on a shield over a cross, and the legend CHRISTO AUSPICE REGNO. The recent seller reported that a relative worked at The Royal Mint which will probably have been how the coin got out of The Mint. . The obverse shows a left-facing effigy of the king[4] (not right as would have been the convention to alternate the direction) with the inscription EDWARDVS VIII D G BR OMN REX F D IND IMP, and the reverse shows a three-headed thrift plant with the inscription THREE PENCE 1937. So alternate, close, denominations had a rose or no rose, as the case required. We wrote the above in 1998 or 1999. The final hammered coinage threepences were produced at the start of the reign of King Charles II. This was repeated in 1645, but with a plumelet instead of a plume in front of the king's face. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Silver threepence (British Coins) ceased to be legal tender in 1970. There is the undated issue which looks very like the earlier hammered coinage, with a crowned left-facing bust of the king with the denomination indicated by III behind his head, and the inscription CAROLVS II D G M B F & H REX, with the reverse showing a shield encircling the arms of England, Scotland, Ireland and France with the legend CHRISTO AUSPICE REGNO. In 1937 a new 3d coin was introduced, a brass coin with twelve . The obverse shows a left-facing effigy of the king with the inscription GEORGIVS VI D G BR OMN REX, while the reverse has an elegant design of a shield of St George lying on a Tudor rose, dividing the date, with the inscription FID DEF IND IMP THREE PENCE. Plot Summary. George VI Type 2 threepence coins in subsequent years up to 1952 are not worth very much but offer a cheap solution to boost a collection with the George VI depicted nickel-brass coin. In style they are very reminiscent of his father's issues, the obverse featuring the bust of the king, with the numeral III and the legend CAROLUS II D G MAG BRI F ET H REX, with the reverse showing the royal arms on a shield over a cross, and the legend CHRISTO AUSPICE REGNO. Reverse, new design St. George's cross over aTudor rose dividing the date. The threepence[1] or threepenny bit[2] was a denomination of currency used by various jurisdictions in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, valued at 1/80 of a pound or .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}14 of a shilling until decimalisation of the pound sterling and Irish pound in 1971. This page is not available in other languages. This was followed by the dated issue, issued each year from 1670 to 1684, where the obverse features a right-facing uncrowned bust of the king and the inscription CAROLVS II DEI GRATIA, with the reverse showing three crowned interlinked "C"s (indicating the value) and the inscription MAG BR FRA ET HIB REX date. The denomination is identified by the numeral III appearing behind the king's head. From 1817 until 1945 the silver threepence weighed 1.4g and had a diameter of 16mm. . For the sole reign of William III the design remained very similar, with the inscriptions changed to GVLIELMVS III DEI GRA and MAG BR FR ET HIB REX date. The currency threepence was issued for each of the nine years of the reign of King Edward VII from 1902. In King William IV's reign (1830-1837), maundy coins were produced in 1831-37, and identical circulation coins were produced for the colonies, identifiable only through not having a prooflike surface. 1943 threepence. Threepences of the fourth coinage (1578-1582) are identical except for having a slightly lower silver content. The silver threepence continued to be minted, as there may have been some uncertainty about how well the new coin would be accepted. There are two types of Edward VIII brass threepences. The reign of King George V (19101936) features several changes to the threepence denomination. The obverse inscription reads GEORGIUS IIII D G BRITANNIAR REX F D, while the reverse shows a new-style crowned "3" and date, all within a wreath. Extremely rare threepences were also produced at the Worcester or Shrewsbury mints, and possibly also at Chester. In the first two years of minting, 1762 and 1763, the coin was obviously produced for general circulation as examples are generally found well worn; on the other hand, coins from the late issue (181720) are usually found in very fine condition, indicating that they were probably issued as Maundy money. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. In the first two years of minting, 1762 and 1763, the coin was obviously produced for general circulation as examples are generally found well worn; on the other hand, coins from the late issue (181720) are usually found in very fine condition, indicating that they were probably issued as Maundy money. During the reign of king George VI, circulation silver threepences were only produced in 1937-1945 (and almost all the 1945 ones were subsequently melted down). The penny and threepence were legal tender on D-Day (Decimal Day), 15 February 1971. You can read more about copyright or our advice disclaimer on these links. When did Britain stop using pounds, shillings and pence? The old design continued to be made from 1926 for Maundy money at 0.500 silver content and was not circulated. In the reign of Queen Anne (1701-1714), the same basic design was used, with threepences produced in 1703-1710 and 1713. This page would not be complete without telling you that a common "nickname" for the silver threepence was a "Joey", although we have also heard this used for the silver groat or fourpence. A twelve-sided nickel brass threepence was also introduced in 1937; the two formats were issued in parallel until the brass version finally supplanted the silver threepence. In Beaumont and Fletcher's "The Scornful Lady", somebody gets "whipt, and then cropt, for washing out the roses in three-farthings to make them pence." Similar denominations were later used throughout the British Empire and Commonwealth countries, notably in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. reign was inscribed with ELIZABETH II DEI GRA BRITT OMN REGINA F D in 1953, and subsequently used ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F D until they ceased production in 1970. The inscription on the obverse reads GEORGIVS III DEI GRATIA up to 1800, and GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA date from 1817. The obverse inscription reads GEORGIUS IIII D G BRITANNIAR REX F D, while the reverse shows a new-style crowned "3" and date, all within a wreath. The old pennies quickly went out of use after Decimal Day, 15 February 1971there was no exact decimal equivalent of them, and the slogan "use your old pennies in sixpenny lots" explained that pennies and "threepenny bits" were only accepted in shops if their total value was six old pence (exactly 212 new pence). The same will happen with later dates also. . The obverse shows a left-facing bust of the king, with the inscription GEORGIVS II DEI GRATIA while the reverse shows the crowned "3" and MAG BRI FR ET HIB REX date. While they didnt go out of circulation until decimalisation took over, the Queen Elizabeth II nickel-brass coins stopped being minted in 1967. The last currency threepence's issued were dated 1967. A total of just 12 of these coins were struck for experimental purposes and sent to a slot machine manufacturing company for testing. The three pence coin expressed in writing as "3d" first appeared in England during the fine silver coinage of King Edward VI (154753), when it formed part of a set of new denominations. It ceased to be legal tender on the 16th of April, 1945. On May 21, 1969, three young men walked into a Silver Spring, Maryland Selective Service office where they destroyed several hundred draft records to protest the war. The threepences of King Edward VIII were all patterns awaiting royal approval at the time of the abdication in December 1936. During the reign of King George VI, circulation silver threepences were produced only in 193745 (and almost all the 1945 examples were subsequently melted down). No. The reverse design remained the same, while the obverse showed the right-facing effigy of the king, with the inscription EDWARDVS VII D G BRITT OMN REX F D IND IMP. This article is about the history of the threepence. The first type has the date broken by a thrift plant design and the second has the date below. The final hammered coinage threepences were produced at the start of the reign of King Charles II. Any 3d coin found from these eras is usually worth a few hundred pounds, and can potentially climb into the thousands. A three pence coin was also used in the pre-decimalisation currencies of Commonwealth of Nations countries such as Fiji, Australia, and New Zealand. Unusually, the same young portrait of King George II was used on the threepence throughout his reign (172760), despite an older portrait being used on other denominations from 1743. There is the undated issue which looks very like the earlier hammered coinage, with a crowned left-facing bust of the king with the denomination indicated by III behind his head, and the inscription CAROLVS II D G M B F & H REX, with the reverse showing a shield encircling the arms of England, Scotland, Ireland and France with the legend CHRISTO AUSPICE REGNO. Unlike some of the larger . The coin, albeit in several incarnations, remained in circulation right up until the decimalisation system came into effect. ), and therefore nicknamed these coins "Joeys" in derision (a reference to Joseph Hume) -- we know them as "Britannia Groats". The scarce dates are 1948, 1950 and 1951 and these are now selling for 60 80 in mint state. This was followed by the dated issue, issued each year from 1670 to 1684, where the obverse features a right-facing uncrowned bust of the king and the inscription CAROLVS II DEI GRATIA, with the reverse showing three crowned interlinked "C"s (indicating the value) and the inscription MAG BR FRA ET HIB REX date. See Maundy money for full details of these issues. Regards & best wishes, Ron H-W. Ron is correct when he states thatiswasn't quite true about the use of value marks. See Maundy money for full details of these issues. The obverse shows a left-facing bust of the Queen, with the inscription ANNA DEI GRATIA while the reverse shows the crowned "3" and MAG BR FR ET HIB REG date (170305, 1707), MAG BR FRA ET HIB REG (1706), or MAG BRI FR ET HIB REG (170813). The first obverse design from 1937-48 included the words GEORGIVS VI D:G:BR:OMN:REX F:D:IND:IMP. meaning George the Sixth by the Grace of God King of all the Britains Defender of the Faith Emperor of India. Editions from 1949-52 omitted IND:IMP (Emperor of India) as The King had chosen to use a different title of Head of the Commonwealth. There is very little movement between the different years of minting, but the coins remain popular among collectors despite their common nature and relatively low valuation. The obverse shows a left-facing bust of the Queen, with the inscription ANNA DEI GRATIA while the reverse shows the crowned "3" and MAG BR FR ET HIB REG date (17035, 1707), MAG BR FRA ET HIB REG (1706), or MAG BRI FR ET HIB REG (170813). It was restored again in 1947 to sterling silver when circulation silver coins were changed to cupro-nickel, although of course no circulation silverthreepenceswere being issued by then. The nickel-brass threepence took over the bulk of the production of the denomination, being produced in all years between 1937 and 1952 except 1947. Edward VI threepences were struck at the London and York mints. Threepences were struck in all years from 1822 to 1830, though the king's head is smaller on the 1822 issue, apparently because the correct punch broke and the one from the twopence was used instead. Before Britain went decimal in 1971, the oldest legal tender coins were 1816 silver . The silver threepenny bit became known as a 'joey'. Over the length of the reign there were several different designs of obverse and reverse in use. Although it was an easy denomination to work with in the context of the old sterling coinage system, being a quarter of a shilling, initially it was not popular with the public who preferred the groat (four pence). Value Marks Of The Silver Threepence Coin. To fetch 40, the silver George V maundy threepence needs to be in EF condition while Uncirculated graded coins can gain double this. You could use them to pay for goods in new and old money until 1 September 1971 [4], when they were withdrawn. Maundy coins (and silver threepenny pieces of Maundy design, i.e. While the silver threepence was minted as a currency coin until nearly the middle of the twentieth century, it is clear that the purpose of the coin undoubtedly changed during the reign of king George III (1760-1820). By the end of George V's reign the threepence had become unpopular in England because of its small size (George Orwell comments on this in Keep the Aspidistra Flying[3]), but it remained popular in Scotland. In 1644 the Exeter mint produced a fairly scarce threepence. This was repeated in 1645, but with a plumelet instead of a plume in front of the kings' face. The threepences of king Edward VIII were all patterns awaiting royal approval at the time of the abdication in December 1936. 1644 Oxford, while around the outside of the coin is the legend EXURGAT DEUS DISSIPENTUR INIMICI Let God arise and His enemies be scattered. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. A three pence coin was also used in the pre-decimalisation currencies of Commonwealth of Nations countries such as Fiji, Australia, and New Zealand. This is because in this year it was ordered that all threepence coins were to be melted down for their silver content due to the decreasing popularity of the silver threepence. If you were looking to sell a threepence to a collector the value goes up substantially, and you can simply take the estimated values above and convert them to dollars. This was followed by the dated issue, issued each year from 1670 to 1684, where the obverse features a right-facing uncrowned bust of the king and the inscription CAROLVS II DEI GRATIA, with the reverse showing three crowned interlinked "C"s (indicating the value) and the inscription MAG BR FRA ET HIB REX date. Pitt Byrne (R. Bentley, 1860) "Hi - hi - all you respectable people what 's got a joey, get half a pint of beer and sport the other threepence up here; " (and presumably beer is 2d a pint). "Decimal Day" on the 15th February 1971 brought about the end of pounds, shillings and pence that had been used for over a thousand years, and the brass threepence ceased to be legal tender on the 31st August 1971. All you have to do is fill out the form below and attach a clear image of both sides of the coin. The reverse shows a long cross over the royal shield, surrounded by the legend (London mint) POSUI DEUM ADIUTOREM MEUM (I have made God my helper), or (York mint) CIVITAS EBORACI (City of York). In March 2014, the Royal Mint announced that a new design of one pound coin will be introduced in 2017, reprising the twelve-sided shape. 1902 Silver Graded British Pre-decimal Edward VII Threepence Obverse, 1902 Silver Graded British Pre-decimal Edward VII Threepence Reverse. It was first minted in the reign of Henry VIIas the testoon, and became known as the shilling, from the Old Englishscilling,[1]sometime in the mid-16th century. These coins are identifiable from other denominations by the rose behind the queen's head on the obverse, and the date on the reverse. This coin weighed 6.6 grams and the diameter was 21 mm across the sides and 22 mm across the corners. The Edward VIII era saw the planned introduction of a new, larger, nickel-brass (79% copper, 20% zinc, 1% nickel) twelve-sided threepence coin. However, given their age, most can be found in EF condition, which can fetch a few pounds. Note that gold sovereigns have never carried an explicit mark of value, from their introduction in 1489 through to the present day. I was being slightly facetious with my comments, the first silverthreepencesdid have a rose by the side of the portrait, but then so did the corresponding sixpence. Coins were produced at the Oxford mint between 1644 and 1646, using the Aberystwyth dies for the obverse, while the reverse of the 1644 coin shows the Declaration of Oxford in three lines: RELI PRO LEG ANG LIB PAR. A similar threepence was produced for King James II, dated 1685 to 1688, the obverse showing a left-facing bust of the king and the inscription IACOBVS II DEI GRATIA, with the reverse showing three crowned "I"s (indicating the value) and the inscription MAG BR FRA ET HIB REX date. This guide and its content is copyright of Chard (1964) Ltd - Chard (1964) Ltd 2023. These coins are identifiable from other denominations by the rose behind the queen's head on the obverse, and the date on the reverse. Threepence coins issued in 1940 circulated for 31 years until "Decimal Day", 15 February 1971, and ceased to be legal tender after 31 August 1971. Threepence coins issued in 1938 circulated for 33 years until "Decimal Day", 15 February 1971, and ceased to be legal tender after 31 August 1971. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Threepences were struck in all years from 1822 to 1830, though the king's head is smaller on the 1822 issue, apparently because the correct punch broke and the one from the twopence was used instead. More specifically, the famous 12-sided design was only introduced in 1937, and before this, the threepence was actually round instead. Due to the vast history of the coin, there are many questions that we get asked around the topic of threepence coins and what theyre worth. Types sets of all three portraits of the Queen Victoria threepences are often sold and are popular with collectors. Threehalfpenceswere issued, and they had a rose, as didthreefarthings, to help distinguish them from pennies. The obverse inscription reads GEORGIUS IIII D G BRITANNIAR REX F D, while the reverse shows a new-style crowned "3" and date, all within a wreath.